Port Orleans Riverside Q&A Thread 2013, Part Two [Thread now FULL and closed]

[Cinderumbrella]

Just printed our boarding passes and heading out to Target for those last minute things that always pile up. By this time tomorrow we should be on the ground in Orlando and heading towards DME

Thanks to everyone for the great advice on this thread and refreshing my memory of POR since it has been nearly 8 years since we stayed there.

I did send a fax late last week requesting a top floor room (and corner if possible) but did not request a specific building since we are booked in a Royal Room and either building is A-OK with us. I also did on-line check in so hopefully check in is a quick process!

I will try to pop on later tomorrow to let you know how it turns out! If anyone needs me to check out anything (or photograph anything) please PM me!

Thanks again!

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

So excited leaving in 16 days and squishing a family of five into the room with a Murphy bed, stayed a few years ago when my youngest was a baby so we stayed at French Quarter and LOVED it.

Anyways, the two older kids and hubby may go to Universal the last day and I am hoping to get a late checkout(I thinks its one and free?) if I stay behind with my youngest. Does anyone know if I can get a luggage rack and store my stuff in the hotel some where, seems like a pain, but you have to do what you have to do, I think we are allowed to stay at the hotel the whole day? Not sure how long.

Also does anyone know if there are any buses from the hotel to places besides the parks? probably too pricey, like the nick hotel, I wanted to do the character breakfast there, but I assume its for guests only?

Housekeeping will have to approve late check-out and you won't know until that morning; you have to keep your fingers crossed. There is a small charge for late check-out.

I've always heard that late check out, if available and approved, is at 1pm and is free of charge. If you are using DME, you will want to use the airline check-in. Then, you wouldn't have to worry about a place to store your bags, except for your carry on bags. Whether or not you're using DME, you can have Bell Services store your bags.

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

I was so excited to find out I had the dining pin code yesterday. However, as everyone has been saying POR is not available. We had to switch to Coronado Springs. A little sad that I will not be staying at POR. Has anyone stayed at CS?

I've stayed at CSR. It was alright. It's my least favorite resort of the Disney resorts I've stayed at. I enjoyed POR much better. CSR is very big, so is POR but the layout at POR is much better designed. Also, it was very noisy at CSR (I barely got any sleep there) and POR was very quiet. You should keep checking for availability for POR. Rooms may become available if there are any cancellations. Have you considered POFQ (if it's available)?

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

Just printed our boarding passes and heading out to Target for those last minute things that always pile up. By this time tomorrow we should be on the ground in Orlando and heading towards DME

Have a great vacation!

 

[MyMagicKingdom]

Bummer! Riverside was only available as royal room for my free dining pin so we ended up switching to FQ so we could stay with garden view. Oh well...I'll just have to do some travelling to Riverside and hope to stay there next time.

 

[ohnowewontgo]

Thank you, all, for the replies & advice!

I asked our agent for just a regular quote from POR (w/o free dining or the resort discount), & she emailed me back to say that it didn't matter... NOTHING is available at POR for our dates w/ or w/o any of the discounts.

So, now we're trying to decide - Beach Club, garden view at CR, or FW cabin. We've never stayed at the Beach Club. We stayed in a FW cabin in 2005 & 2006, & we stayed at the Contemporary last year.

Anyway, I guess that's another thread! LOL!

Thanks again for the help, & maybe next year we'll decide on POR in time!

Why don't you book straight through the disney website? I think it's much less of a hassle.

 

[Missytara]

So I am arriving on the 15th (after first time driving - from DE), and I am looking forward to getting back to my beloved POR, even though it is not my normal week. I am going to be prepared for the heat.

I checked out the website and the only available rooms are Water view and Standard view. I decided to upgrade our room from Standard to Courtyard view on the summer savings discount (hoping we might be near the quiet pool, but not a deal breaker), so I wonder if other people did the same thing.

From going oh, so many years, the week after Thanksgiving, I know it is way too early to check the weather, but a girl's gotta dream. One day it jumps up to about 95 (Wednesday) and ironically it does the same thing at home, but it is 85 instead. Funny thing.

So wouldn't you know it, it is our AK day, because they have EMH in the morning. I have dinner ressies at Yak 'n Yeti, which I love, but it wouldn't break my heart if we gave out early. I am thinking get back to the resort by early afternoon and hang out at the pool. Then go over to DTD for dinner. The water taxi ride will be very refreshing and I cannot see us having any trouble getting a place to eat over there, since it is mid-week. But I would love to go to RFC - love, love, love the Bamba Wrap.

We are almost there.....

 

[Wendy31]

Hope this helps.

Thank you! It does!

Our AAA agent had given me quotes w/ parkhoppers for the Beach Club & a FW cabin & then, when I said we just wanted base tickets (like our original reservations) told me that the parkhopper adds around $55/person - but I think it's actually a little more. So it's nice to see the actual quote.

We stayed at the CR last year w/ free dining. We originally had a gardenview room booked, but, since it wasn't available w/ free dining, we switched to the tower. And, this year, gardenview wasn't available at all when we originally booked.

According to the WDW website, CR gardenview is available, so I asked our AAA agent for a gardenview quote. I was surprised when she gave me a quote for gardenview w/ free dining. However, the quote she gave me is the same quote you gave me for the tower, so I'm thinking she gave me a quote for the tower.

She also told me that POR wasn't available at all.

I wonder, though, why the WDW site shows availability at both POR & CR gardenview?

Free dining works out well for larger groups; while room discount works better for someone like me who likes to go solo and doesn't do the dining plan.

POR does tend to sell out quickly, because it is the least expensive alternative for a family of 5, and if you get FD for five people, you are getting the best bang for your buck.

I think I've finally come to the conclusion that free dining works better for us too.

In 2011, we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge w/ a 40% PIN code. However, our younger DS was 2, so he was free. And the 40% was a better discount for us than the free dining. But I don't think that it's the case for us anymore.

I'm definitely keeping POR in mind for our next trip. I hadn't really looked at it before. Previously, we've stayed in a FW cabin, so that's what I was looking at until I remembered POR.

The POR grounds are so lovely! And, unlike the Beach Club or FW, there's a real quick-service. Plus, there's only 1 bus at POR - unlike FW where you have to first take an internal bus.

And I also liked the décor of the Alligator Bayou rooms - the alligator from "The Princess & the Frog" on the pull-down bed is so cute!

And, now that the POR has queen beds, I almost like it better than the Beach Club. We actually don't swim a lot at Disney. Plus, at the Beach Club, we may or may not get a balcony. So, for the money, I almost think I'd rather stay at POR. Although, the walk to EPCOT would be nice!

Exactly. Free food for four (or even five) people is worth a considerable amount of money at Disney. However for one or two people, especially in deluxe locations, a 30% discount may be a better deal.

In fact, I've often wondered how many 'phantom' room occupants occur when free dining offers are on, especially before you needed to get passes for the whole length of stay. Consider a childless couple who add a couple of non-existent 15-year-old children onto their room occupancy list. They'd get double the amount of free dining credits (giving them three meals a day plus some signature two-credit meals, and a ton of snacks) and could even hold the extra (still unused) Magic Your Way park tickets back for a future visit... I'm not advocating trying it of course, but I can't see why it wouldn't work.

Andre

Yes, now that we have 2 "Disney adults" & 1 "Disney child," free dining is going to be the better discount for us, I think.

Why don't you book straight through the disney website? I think it's much less of a hassle.

We would, except for one thing - the AAA Diamond Parking Pass.

We drive, so, while we're at Disney, we drive to DHS & AK, and, depending on where we stay, to EPCOT. So the parking pass is a great benefit to us.

I just wanted to say thanks for ALL the help & advice! The POR thread has some great DISers!

I still have no clue where we're staying!

 

[germ539]

So wouldn't you know it, it is our AK day, because they have EMH in the morning. I have dinner ressies at Yak 'n Yeti, which I love, but it wouldn't break my heart if we gave out early. I am thinking get back to the resort by early afternoon and hang out at the pool. Then go over to DTD for dinner. The water taxi ride will be very refreshing and I cannot see us having any trouble getting a place to eat over there, since it is mid-week. But I would love to go to RFC - love, love, love the Bamba Wrap.

When we were there last week, we tried to go to RFC twice at DTD, once on Tues and again on Thur (both during early-late afternoon) and they had 3 and up hour waits. Might want to make reservations ahead of time if you know you are going there.

 

[CareHeartsDisney]

So wouldn't you know it, it is our AK day, because they have EMH in the morning. I have dinner ressies at Yak 'n Yeti, which I love, but it wouldn't break my heart if we gave out early. I am thinking get back to the resort by early afternoon and hang out at the pool. Then go over to DTD for dinner. The water taxi ride will be very refreshing and I cannot see us having any trouble getting a place to eat over there, since it is mid-week. But I would love to go to RFC - love, love, love the Bamba Wrap.

We are almost there.....

When we were there last week, we tried to go to RFC twice at DTD, once on Tues and again on Thur (both during early-late afternoon) and they had 3 and up hour waits. Might want to make reservations ahead of time if you know you are going there.

We had a great meal at the Rain Forest Cafe at AK in February. Since you are already going to be at AK anyway, why don't you try there? You could maybe have an early dinner or go for lunch and then head back to POR for swimming. ADR's seem to be easier to get at the AK RFC.

 

[Missytara]

We had a great meal at the Rain Forest Cafe at AK in February. Since you are already going to be at AK anyway, why don't you try there? You could maybe have an early dinner or go for lunch and then head back to POR for swimming. ADR's seem to be easier to get at the AK RFC.

I have covered that base as well; my second alternative is to move up our Yak n' Yeti reservation from 5:30 pm to lunch time if we get tired. Way ahead of you. I have the app to be able to try to move up our ressies if I can.

 

[Missytara]

When we were there last week, we tried to go to RFC twice at DTD, once on Tues and again on Thur (both during early-late afternoon) and they had 3 and up hour waits. Might want to make reservations ahead of time if you know you are going there.

Drats, I was afraid of that. I knew of 3 hour waits during the weekends, but not during the week. But I am wondering if it was because of Memorial Day weekend or something.....

We went a few years ago, the week after Thanksgiving and our first night (Sunday) we were told it was a three hour wait if we sat inside and 3 minute wait if we sat outside. That was to merely put out some placemats and silverware - they didn't expect anyone to take them up on it.

So we are from DE and it wasn't too cold, but we did keep our jackets on and ate our food quickly, since it was getting cold by the time we got it. We didn't hang around long.

 

[gmedolphin]

We would, except for one thing - the AAA Diamond Parking Pass.

We drive, so, while we're at Disney, we drive to DHS & AK, and, depending on where we stay, to EPCOT. So the parking pass is a great benefit to us.

** As long as your a AAA member you can get this pass, we just go into our local office and ask for one..You do not need to book though AAA. Hope this helps.

 

[Venomhatch]

Get sick a little and drop out of the disboards for a while and wow this jumped quick from 24 to 28 pages. Better now. I have updated everyone's dates and updated the fax thread.

 

[andrewilley]

Housekeeping will have to approve late check-out and you won't know until that morning; you have to keep your fingers crossed. There is a small charge for late check-out.

You can reserve guest services to come pick you up at your room a few days before your check-out day. However, you won't know the time; you may still have to stick with the normal 11:00 am time for them to take your luggage to guest services for storage. You can only use the luggage cart if you are loading/unloading a car at guest services and they assist you.

It'd be the room assignment/inventory folks that would have the final say on late checkouts I have thought, rather than housekeeping, as they know if the room is going to be needed quickly for another guest. If they do agree it though, there is no charge (up to 1pm).

I don't think guests are allowed to use the hotel luggage carts (health & safety probably) but you can call Bell Services to get them to collect all your bags from the room and store them until you leave (you must be in the room for them to collect though, and they will give you a receipt). You can't pre-book this though, just call them when your bags are ready to be collected.

Andre

 

[germ539]

Get sick a little and drop out of the disboards for a while and wow this jumped quick from 24 to 28 pages. Better now. I have updated everyone's dates and updated the fax thread.

Glad you are feeling better.

Missytara - sent you a PM (at least I thought I did, maybe it was an email instead?)

Andre - sent you a PM (I know that this was

 

[andrewilley]

Get sick a little and drop out of the disboards for a while and wow this jumped quick from 24 to 28 pages.

Hope you're feeling better now. Yup, we're well on our way to another 250 pages!

Did anyone hear the DIS Unplugged podcast a month or so back, where our POR FAQ Thread was the only resort thread appearing in the DISboards Top-10 Busiest Threads for the month of March?

Andre

 

[Venomhatch]

Hope you're feeling better now. Yup, we're well on our way to another 250 pages!

Did anyone hear the DIS Unplugged podcast a month or so back, where our POR FAQ Thread was the only resort thread appearing in the DISboards Top-10 Busiest Threads for the month of March?

Andre

Thanks.

I believe it about how popular it is.

 

[katemusical]

Hi everyone!
I couldnt seem to find the answer...does anyone know if the safes in the rooms will hold a laptop computer?

Thank you!

 

[Venomhatch]

Hi everyone!
I couldnt seem to find the answer...does anyone know if the safes in the rooms will hold a laptop computer?

Thank you!

They can a Netbook Computer but not a laptop. I believe the biggest Laptop/netbook can be a 13" display one. After that there isn't too much room for maybe some credit cards, paperwork, etc. I always locked it up in the past in a suitcase. Out of sight, out of mind. No one will know if you do have on in a suitcase or not if its locked.